Saturday, March 14, 2009

Elderly South Florida Couple Held Hostage By Broken Elevator; Condominium Association's Lack OF Funds May Be The Problem

In Hollywood, Florida, WTVJ-TV Channel 4 reports:
  • An elderly couple living in the Southbrook Condominiums in Hollywood said they're being held hostage in their third story home because a broken elevator has gone two months without fixing. Olga Marino and her 90-year-old husband both require wheelchairs in order to get around and said they're forced to take the stairs, which is a safety hazard.

  • We don’t have the proper gear to take a person in her condition two flights of stairs down,” Luis Marino, the couple’s son, said. The Marino's said they pay a monthly maintenance fee of nearly $300, including their mortgage but have seen no action in trying to repair the elevator.

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  • The county declared the elevator a danger in a March 4th notice to residents, which could cost as much as $20,000 to fix. “Supposedly they [the condominium association] don’t have this money,” Luis Marino said.

For more, see S. Fla. Elderly Couple Outraged Over Broken Condo Elevator.